Bad questions

Summary (posts follow):

One of our goals at this site is to get people to ask politicians smart, tough questions designed to hold those politicians accountable; see the question authority page for the full discussion.

The posts on this page contain examples of dumb or weak questions that politicians were asked, in order to provide examples of what not to do.

Last modified Jan 6, 2010

Discussed in (click each link for the full post):

Steve Grove asks Obama weak questions live on Youtube ("Your" Interview with the President) - 2/01/2010

Earlier today, Steve Grove - Youtube's director of news and politics programming - interviewed Barack Obama live on Youtube (and on the White House's live feed) and asked him a series of weak questions that he answered with ease. Some or all of the questions he was asked were submitted by Youtube's visitors, very few of whom are familiar with specialized topics and with asking tough...

Obama devastates GOP "arguments" live on TV (House Republican retreat) - 1/30/2010

Barack Obama appeared at a nationally-televised House Republican retreat in Baltimore yesterday at which several leading Republicans asked him questions which he then handled with ease. He "p0wned" them so badly that Fox News cut away from the coverage twenty minutes before it ended. What the House members asked were weak, open-ended question or simply requests. They weren't adversa...

Regular citizens asking elites tough questions usually fails (HuffPost example) - 1/13/2010

Eliot Spitzer has posted some questions for bankers, see that link for the details and the link. And, probably in an attempt at just ginning up page views, the Huffington Post has invited their readers to submit questions. The submissions once again illustrate how regular citizens asking the elites questions serves the interests of those elites. The regular citizens think they're taking on th...

Feingold constituents falsely think they're holding him accountable, when they're helping him - 1/12/2010

The video at peekURL.com/vle9byx (note: loud profanity) is entitled "Feingold Called Out" and features a recent townhall appearance by Sen. Russ Feingold. In fact, it's yet another example of failure by those in the tea parties sphere: 1. Feingold wasn't "called out". His opponents made statements and yelled at him, but he was able to deflect their open-ended statemen...

Why didn't Randall Terry "cross-examine" Sen. Casey about abortion? (disrupts event, has little impact instead) - 1/12/2010

The video at peekURL.com/vyzf9ay shows pro-life activists affiliated with Randall Terry disrupting a speech by senator Bob Casey at an event unrelated to abortion issues. They shouted that he's a hypocrite and that he can't be trusted due to him allegedly supporting funding of abortions in other countries. Needless to say, Casey disagrees, trying to interrupt them and say they aren'...

Example: how to make a question for a politician better (Obama healthcare) - 12/10/2009

The page mentioned in the previous post (toptenhealthcarequestions.com) contains this question for Barack Obama: The Administration has repeatedly claimed that its health care reform plan will not cover illegal aliens. The Congressional Research Service recently issued a report contradicting the Administration's position, stating "H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on non-citize...

Tea party "patriots" to storm U.S. Senate, engage in sit-in just like far-left SDS used to do - 12/10/2009

From "Tea Party Patriots to Storm Senate Offices" (taxdayteaparty.com/2009/12/tea-party-patriots-to-storm-senate-offices): It is time, once again, to flex our muscle and exert that influence to hold the line in our fight against the government takeover of healthcare... On Tuesday, December 15 at 8:45 AM thousands of us will meet in Washington, DC at the fountain in Upper Senate Park. Fro...

PJTV clueless about asking tough questions (CEI, Climategate) - 11/30/2009

Glenn Reynolds alerts us (pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/89283) to the Pajamas Media video "Warmists Give Climategate The Cold Shoulder", subtitled "What do Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, the Center for American Progress have to say about the growing Climategate scandal?" (pjtv.com/v/2770). Rushing posthaste to watch it - but not to give PJTV any money - I was to a small extent exp...

WeAreChange screams at Al Gore, helps him by portraying his opponents as insane - 11/30/2009

A group from the Chicago branch of the We Are Change group - part of the "911 Truth movement" - showed up at a recent book signing by Al Gore, asked him weak questions, and then began screaming at him as they were hustled out of the store. See the attached video, and ask yourself: "to almost all people, won't WeAreChange members appear to be borderline insane? Won't this i...

Canadian comedian tries to embarrass Sarah Palin; fails; shows abysmal level of debate in U.S. - 11/27/2009

Mediaite offers "Canadian Comedian Fails Miserably In Trying To Embarrass Sarah Palin" (link): During a book signing event in Columbus, Ohio, Canadian Comedian Mary Walsh ambushed (Sarah Palin) with camera crew and microphone to seek her thoughts on the Canadian health care system (and ostensibly embarrass her as well.) While the event security detail prevented a meaningful interview, Pa...

Lindsey Graham: GOP isn't going to be "party of angry white guys" (+more ineffective townhall ranting) - 10/13/2009

From this: An often clamorous crowd blasted, grilled and occasionally cheered Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in a town hall meeting Monday that centered on health care reform but returned repeatedly to his positions on climate change, judicial appointees and immigration. Graham returned the fire with a grin, at times shouting over his most boisterous critics and telling some who ques...

Jim Geraghty, Glenn Reynolds promote anti-intellectualism (10/7/09 edition; Steve Israel townhall) - 10/07/2009

Last night, Rep. Steve Israel of New York held a townhall meeting that per this consisted mainly of shouting and other anti-intellectual behavior. One question that was asked of him is provided at the link, and it isn't a good question. The smarter thing for those attending to do would be to find a few among them who are experienced with "cross-examining" people and give them some g...

Michael Chertoff grilled on CSPAN by sheer geniuses - 9/22/2009

One of these days I'm going to get CSPAN and start calling in to their interview shows in an attempt to ask politicians questions that will make them look bad. For a counter-example, a few days ago former Department of Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff made an appearance and was apparently asked a series of questions about a potential 911 conspiracy; the video is here. I haven't w...

The tea parties aren't just for extremist libertarian Randroids. Oh, no. Of course not. - 9/06/2009

The video at peekURL.com/vv2t7t6 shows a tea party organizer from Seattle reading a Randroid rant she wrote complaining about redistribution in relation to Obama healthcare. She wants people to be left alone rather than some being "plundered" in order to fund UHC. At root, her argument isn't just with excessive redistribution, with pork, with connected contractors, with the social n...

Demagogues get wish: Jim Moran townhall "descends into chaos" - 8/25/2009

From this: Rep. Jim Moran's town hall meeting descended into chaos Tuesday night as protestors clashed -- in one case violently -- with supporters of a broad federal health care expansion, leading the 8th District Democrat to angrily seek to evict some of the loudest demonstrators. Moran and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean addressed a crowd of at least 2,500 at South Lakes High School in Rest...

Citizen challenges President Obama to stay true to progressive principles! - 8/22/2009

Welcome to the premiere edition of BYOSAK: "Build Your Own Soviet Allusion Kit". Your words today are velikiy (great, as in Peter) and grozniy (terrible, as in Ivan). Your goal: use those (or, alternatively, allusions to 1984) in relation to "Joe The Nerd: The Man Who Challenged Obama On Health Care" by Arthur Delaney of the Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/21/joe-th...

NRA member "Randy the Welder" unwittingly helps Obama at Montana townhall - 8/18/2009

The video here from Obama's August 14 health care townhall in Montana shows a local welder taking around a minute to ask him a question. He first points out that he's a proud NRA member, then gives a shout-out to cable news (presumably Fox News), and then launches into an incredibly weak question. He basically wants to know how Obama is going to pay for all this stuff. That's certai...

"Becky": poster girl for unwitting supporters of Obamacare (townhall ranter) - 8/15/2009

The attached video features someone who, not knowing her real name, I'll call "Becky". Becky is helping push Obama healthcare, even if she thinks she's doing the opposite. She's not alone: all those I've seen so far who think they're opposing Obamacare are in effect either helping promote it or aren't doing as good a job to oppose it as they could. The video...

OMG! Sheila Jackson-Lee uses cell phone during a constituent's worthless rant and before useless question from another - 8/12/2009

If this were a worthless cable TV-style site, we'd be all over the video of Sheila Jackson Lee using her cellphone at a townhall while a constituent engages in a rant (video link). So, I'll leave the expected reaction to HotAir [1]. Instead, I'll point out that the video is little more than entertainment; it's not going to have an effect on much of anything. SJL's supporte...

Arlen Specter, Kathleen Sebelius meet tea party/GOP braintrust, massive intellectualism ensues - 8/04/2009

I recently posted Tea partiers meet Rep. Lloyd Doggett; grown-up high-level debate, intellectualism ensue about loons from the tea parties chanting like ACORN at that Rep.'s appearance rather than trying to engage him in debate in order to show how he's wrong (see question authority). Something similar happened recently involving an appearance to promote Obama healthcare by Arlen Specter...

How not to ask about the Obama citizenship issue (Mike Castle assumes Obama is a citizen) - 7/21/2009

Drudge is linking to this video of a townhall meeting in Delaware featuring Republican congressman Mike Castle. The "lady in red" launches into nothing more than a rant about the Obama citizenship issue and then states that Obama is a citizen of Kenya. Castle responds by saying he's a U.S. citizen. They're both wrong in similar ways: while there's a very strong possibility...

Rep. Alan Grayson pushes camera of someone trying to ask him a lame question - 6/27/2009

Glenn Reynolds links [1] to a video from Moe Lane (affiliated with RedState) [2] featuring Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson pushing the camera of someone who tried to ask him a question. There are two main aspects to this story: Grayson's actions, and the continuing stupidity of the Instapundit/RedState axis. On the video, the cameraman keeps saying, "can I ask you a question" as Grayso...

GOP still struggling with asking tough questions (Eric Cantor campaign against Dems on House floor) - 4/08/2009

Patrick O'Conner of the Politico offers "Cantor's strategy: Ambush Democrats" (link) about a plan from House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor in which more experienced legislators take to the House floor to berate less-experienced Democratic House members over various issues:

Barney Frank deflects semi-tough questions - 4/07/2009

There's a recent exchange between Rep. Barney Frank and a student at Harvard University concerning TARP here. I don't have enough knowledge to tell who's telling the truth, but it's clear that Frank "won" or at least didn't lose. For over two years, I've been urging people to do things like this, albeit a bit better. Here are a few tips based on the video fo...

Obama asked stock question about immigration, gives stock, uneconomic reply (smears e-Verify; Orange County) - 3/19/2009

Earlier today, Barack Obama held a townhall in Orange County, CA and the full transcript, including the audience questions and his answers, is here. Maybe some time before the decade's over someone will get around to actually taking my advice and asking him a tough question, but that didn't happen in this case. As soon as I found out about the event, I posted here and at FreeRepublic ur...

GOP "trackers" try asking Democratic Reps. stupid questions on video - 3/17/2009

David Lightman of McClatchy Newspapers offers "GOP 'trackers' stalk Dems in hunt for 'macaca' moment" (link). The "trackers" (from the National Republican Congressional Committee) have been prowling the streets of Washington DC and trying to ask Democratic politicians questions on video. There are some videos linked from the end of the article; you can also ...

Jason Mattera asks Charlie Rangel stupid question - 3/09/2009

Standing athwart our descent into Idiocracy, HotAir correspondent Jason Mattera decided to help us descend even further by asking Charlie Rangel about his tax problems on the attached video. While the question he asked was not as bad and as personal as something that the sleazy Mike Stark has asked, it was still just a worthless question about Rangel himself rather than about things that are impor...

Change.gov Round 2: Ask Obama stupid questions, get stock responses - 1/13/2009

Barack Obama's change dot gov has released their responses for the second round of their scam where they encouraged people to submit and vote for questions that Obama would answer (change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_round_2_response). As with other popular voting systems, it was designed to fail, with weak questions being voted up while tough questions (such as the ones I submitted)...

Obama releases "answers" to change.gov user-generated "questions" (420, dude) - 12/16/2008

Barack Obama's change dot gov recently asked the citizens to submit questions which he would deign to answer. Now, the answers to the "top" questions have been released here. The questions were weak, the answers were weak and could have been gleaned from Obama's positions. All that was predictable; see the discussion of popular voting systems. First, my question - tougher than ...

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